1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to oil dispensing devices for use in supplying motor oil to automotive vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, various devices have been manufactured to aid in the provision of motor oil for automotive vehicles having internal combustion engines. Typically, motor oil is supplied to the engine block of an automotive vehicle through an upwardly directed aperture either in the engine block itself, or in a valve and tappet cover over the engine block. Motor oil is most frequently supplied commercially in quart cans. For many years reuseable spouts have been provided to perforate these quart cans inwardly of the lip of the upper edge, and to hold the can in position as oil is poured into the crankcase. Spouts of this type include a piercing blade located adjacent to an arcuately curved tube and within the lateral confines of a bonnet and a brace. The spout is shoved downward upon the can at its edge with the blade piercing the lid and with the brace passing downward adjacent the side of the can. The can with the spout impaled thereon is inverted and the spout is positioned in the oil filling aperture in the engine. The bonnet confines oil flow to the spout and prevents oil from spilling from the punctured can along the sides of the spout.
In a more advanced oil dispensing device, a funnel shaped device with an elongated lip along one edge is provided. Partway down the lip an upwardly directed piercing blade is fastened. At the extreme upper extremity of the lip a trigger mechanism is arranged to press on the bottom of a quart oil can positioned at the lip to force it downwardly where it is impaled upon the piercing blade. Oil is then free to pass around the blade and flow down the funnel into an oil filling aperture for the engine.
All of the foregoing prior art oil dispensing devices are constructed with an inflexible geometry, however. With the multiplicity of different oil filling aperture locations in different model cars, and with the increasing congestion in the engine area resulting from the increased use of automotive air conditioners, pollution control devices, electronic ignition systems, and other apparatus, the use of conventional oil dispensing devices has become increasingly difficult. That is, conventional devices can be maneuvered into position to pour oil into a filling aperture only with awkward manipulation and a considerable likelihood of oil spills. Furthermore, the commercially available rigid one piece funnel and guide system with the trigger actuator is entirely too bulky to utilize with some automotive vehicles. This is particularly true where the oil filling aperture is located to the rear of the engine block, in which case positioning of the conventional trigger actuated device is obstructed by the slope of the underside of the vehicle hood. For the same reason, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to position the conventional trigger actuated devices at filling apertures which are located along the sides of the engine block, rather than at the top. Moreover, the shipment of conventional trigger actuated oil dispensing devices is inefficient, since the packages required in association with those devices are quite large and space consuming. The number of those devices which can be shipped in any larger container is severely limited because of the bulk of the individual units.